1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to games and more particularly to question and answer games, trivia games, card games and wagering games.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Games involving trivia are well known in the art. Typically, such games require a playing board on which the progress of all players is identified by tokens of varying types. Forward movement along the board is determined by a combination of dice rolls, spinners and correct answers to questions. Selection of the questions is totally at random. Players neither choose nor control the subject matter.
Additionally, these games do not include wagering. Questions are not defined as to difficulty. Only one individual at a time plays as others await their turn. The winner is merely the player who navigates a series of blocks or hazards to a finish line.
One game in this genre is U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,775 (Banks et al.). In Banks, a player selects a question card. The question card has four questions and answers, each pertaining to four distinct categories. The player also selects a category card. The category card indicates which question should be asked from the question card. If the player answers correctly, another player rolls a pair of dice. The number rolled is added to the player's score. The winner is the player with the highest score.
Another prior art game is Trivial Pursuit. Trivial Pursuit involves players traveling around a board by rolling a die. Each space is associated with a particular category. For example, in the Silver Screen Edition, the categories are settings, titles, off-screen, on-screen, production and portrayals. Upon landing on a space, a player is asked a question. If answered correctly, the player rolls again. There is only one headquarters space for each category. If a player lands on a headquarters space and answers a question correctly, the player receives a wedge. When a wedge is obtained for each category, the player must move to the center of the board and answer a question correctly to win.
A prior art trivia game involving money is the home version of the television show Jeopardy. In Jeopardy, players pose questions in response to an answer. The answers are divided among several categories. A player selects an answer based on a designated dollar value and the category. The first player to ring in may attempt to pose the correct question. If the player poses the correct question, the player wins the designated amount. If the player answers incorrectly, the player loses the designated amount and other players can ring in to answer the question. The winner is the player with the most money at the end of the game.